Battery terminal with self clamping and releasing means



4 J. REN CH BATTERY TERMINAL WITH SELF CLAMPING AND RELEASING MEANSFiled Oct. 5, 1925 I Patented Aug. 24, 1926.

mural) STATES "PATENTT OFFICE.

' JOE RENSCH, OF MAKOTI, NORTH DAKOTA.

BATTERY WITH SELF GLAMPJITG AND BELEASING' MEANS.

a ncauaamea October 5, 1925. Serial m. 60,461;

This invention relates to a clamping de vice and particularly to aterminal connection for the terminal of a storage battery or similarapparatus embodying a clamping de- 5 vlce.

made, have terminal projections thereon on which is clamped the terminalwhich is conterminal post of the battery having simple and eflicientmeans for clamping thepost and for releasing the terminal from clampingposition.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a terminal connectionfor storage battery, or like apparatus, comprising spaced jaws having apassage therebetween, together with means pivoted'to the jaws and havingportions at the outer side thereof, whereby, when said means is swung toone position said jaws are moved together and when said means is swungto another position said jaws are moved apart.

It is also an object of the invention to provide such a terminal as setforth in the preceding paragraph in which said means.

also has a portion disposed between said jaws which will force said jawsapart when said means is moved to one position by its approachingmovement of said jaws when said means is turned to another position;These and other objectsand; advantages of the invention will be fullyset forth in the following description madeiin connec: tion with theaccompanying drawings in which like characters referto. the same partsthroughout the different. views,- and in which,

. Fig. 1 is a top plan viewo'f the device shown inopen or releasingposition;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectipn on the line 1 ofFig. l, as indicated by thearrows;

Storage batteries, as now commonly Fig. 3 is abottom plan view of thedevice shown in closed or clampin position; Fig- 4 is a'bottomplan-viewfis owing the device in open or released position; and

Fig. 5 .is a vertical section on the line 55 of Fig. 1. l

Referring to the drawings, a terminal connection for the post'of astorage battery or other member is indicated generally as I 6. Thisconnection has a socket 6 projecting at one'side adapted to receive anelectrical conductor 7 illustrated as having an insulating covering 8thereon. The member 6 also has spaced jaws 6 which have a passage 6therebetween through which the. post 9 of a storage battery 10 isadapted to project, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. While thepassage 6 may be of any desired shape, in the embodiment of theinvention, it is shown as cylindrical or slightly conical to suit thestandard form of post 9. The jaws 6 are apertured to receive a pivotmember illustrated as a headed and nutted'bolt 11. The jaws, 6 aregenerally of cylindrical shape'but are thicker at one side than theother. As illustrated, the thick part of the jaws is adjacent the bottomof the member 6, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and the narrow portion of thejaws is at the top of the device, as shown in Fig. 1, the inner surfacesof the jaws being formed on planes which are inclined v to the axisof'the bolt 11 and substantially parallel to a line passing through thecenter of passage 6. and

at right angles to theaxis ofthe bolt 11.

The outer faces of the jaws 6 are formed on planes inclined slightly tothe axis of. bolt 11, but in the opposite direction to the planes of theinner surfaces of said jaws.

mounted on bolt 11 and is generally in the form of a yoke having endportions 12 A member 12 is pivotally or swingingly mal to the axis ofbolt 11 with which the head and the nut of bolt 11 respectively engage.The portions or lugs 12 of member 12 have their inner surfaces formed onan inclined plane, the lugs 12 thus being thickest atthe ends nearestmember 6,\ as v shown in Fig. 1, but having their thinnest portion attheir bottoms remote from member 6, as shown in Fig. 1. The member 12has a plate 12 extending therefrom illustrated as having a flat topwhich forms a fingerpiece or handle. The member 12 also has a portion ortongue 12 projecting there from and disposed between the jaws ti Thisportion 12 is wedge-shape having its thickest portion at the bottom orend of member 12 opposite handle 12 as shown in Fig. 4. The thickestportion of member 12 is at the upper side of member 12 or the sidetoward the handle 12.

In operation, the member 12 is swung through an angle of substantiallyninety degrees from releasing and clamping position. When the member 12is in position with the handle 12 extending substantially parallel withthe axis of opening 6 the device is in released position, as shown inFigs. 1, 2, t and 5. In this position, the thick part of tongue 12 isbetween jaws 6 and the outer surfaces of jaws 6 are parallel to theinner surface of the lugs or portions 12. The jaws can thus expand orseparate and they are positively moved or separated by the tongue 12.The position of the jaws of members 12 at this time is clearly shown inFigs. 1 and 4:, both at the top and bottom of the device. The terminal 6being in this open position can be placed on the post 9 and the handle12 is then swung to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2,substantially at right. angles to the axisof opening 6. When thisoccurs, the wide portion of tongue 12 swings out from between the jaws 6and the thickest part of the portions or lugs 12 swings against theouter surfaces of jaws 6 at the thickest portions thereof and'jaws 6 aremoved toward each other. tracts the opening 6 and the terminal issecurely clamped onto post 9. The terminal can, of course, be releasedby again moving handle 12' to the position shown in Fig. 2 and tongue 12then forces jaws 6 apart after which the terminal can be'lifted frompost 9.

From the above description it is seen that applicant has provided anextremely simple and eflicient terminal, one comprising very few partsand yet which has a very positive clamping and positive releasingaction. The passage for the post is considerably contracted and expandedin the operation of the device -and the terminal is very ;se curelyclamped onto the post. The device can be easily and inexpensively madeand easily and very quickly operated. The same has beenamply-demonstrated in actual practice and found to be very successfuland efiicient.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made inthe form, detalls, arrangement and proportions of the This conpartswithout departing from the scope of applicants invention, which,generally stated, consists in a device capable of carrying out theobjects above set forth, in the novel parts and combinations of partsdisclosed and defined in the appended claims.

posed between said jaws and adapted, when said movable member is swungto said latter position, to force said jaws apart.

3. A terminal connection comprising a pair of clamping jaws having apassage therebetween, a member pivotally connected to said jawshavingmeans thereon adapted, when said member is swung into one position, toengage the outer sides of said jaws and move the same together andhaving means adapted, when said member is swung to another position, tomove between said jaws and force the same'apart.

4. A terminal connection comprising pair of clamping jaws having apassage therebetween, a pivot member passing through said jaws, aswinging means journaled on said pivot having members at the outer sidesof said jaws with thick and thin portions and having a member disposedbetween said jaws with thick and thin portions, said thick and thinportions being constructed and arranged so that when said means is swungto one position the thick portions of said first mentioned members willmove said jaws together and the thin portion of said member between thejaws will be disposed between said jaws but when said means is swung toanotherposition the thin portions of said first mentioned members willengage said jaws and the thick portion of said means between said jawswill force said jaws apart.

5. A terminal connection comprising a pair of jaws having a passagetherebetween, a swinging member pivotally connected to said connectionand having ears disposed at the outer sides of said jaws, said earsbeing thicker at one side than the other whereby, when. said swingingmember' is swung'to one position, said thick side of the cars will bebrought into engagement with said jaws and move the same together andwhen said swinging member, is swung to another position the thin side ofsaid ears will be disposed so that said jaws may posed between said jawscomprisinga narseparate. row portion adapted to be disposed between 10.

a 6. The structure set forth in olaimr5, said said Jaws when movedtogether, and a wide jaws having outer inclined flat sidesadaptedportion adapted to be moved-between and 5 when said jaws are separatedto lie parallel positively engage said jaws.

to the inner sides respectively of said ears. In testimony whereof Iafiix my si gna- 7. The structure set forth in claim 5, said ture. I Iswinging member also having a tongue dis- 7 JOE BEN SCH.

